Imagine that the finance department in your company still uses paper spreadsheets, and the sales team writes customer data in notebooks. Absurd? Of course – technology has already revolutionized every area of business. Every area, except for one: soft skills training. As early as the 1930s, Dale Carnegie taught managers communication, influence, and negotiation using methods nearly identical to those we know today: workshops, meetings, exercises. We have digitization, big data, and artificial intelligence, yet soft skills training is still stuck in the flipchart era. For decades, we’ve been doing almost the same thing, expecting different results – even though interpersonal skills are more crucial to success than ever before.
Companies Pay, Yet Don’t Know What They’re Getting in Return
According to the VI edition of the HR Analytics Report 2025, 72.4% of companies state that leadership development is a key priority. They invest large budgets, hundreds of hours annually. But what exactly are they buying? Only 22.1% of companies check the effectiveness of their training, and the actual return on investment (ROI) is only 4.5%. Soft skills training often remains an expensive ritual with vague results. In times of crisis, it’s the first thing to be cut – it’s hard to pay for something whose value is unclear.
The Absurdity of Satisfaction as a Measure of Effectiveness
What stands out is the way companies measure training effectiveness – as many as 60% rely solely on satisfaction surveys. What does such a survey prove? Most often, it only shows that it was “nice,” that employees had a break, coffee, chatted, or met a charismatic trainer. But does business pay for a pleasant time, or for improving company results? Given these statistics and professional experiences, it looks like HR often focuses on participant satisfaction, hoping that a little knowledge will stick in their heads. That’s clearly not enough, especially considering the forgetting curve and the fact that 90% of knowledge can disappear within a quarter, and after a year, all participants remember is that the training took place and “something about feedback” was discussed.
HR Reactivity and Budget Wastage
Lack of a strategic approach makes soft skills training an easy target for cuts. HR works reactively – often only handling training when the business requests it. When that happens, they usually opt for event-based formats: famous trainers, sometimes even motivational speakers – despite the fact that this is more of an addition or a specific goal, not skill development. Done, paid, business momentarily satisfied, employees don’t complain, and they even give good feedback – everything’s fine, now they can deal with other fires. But does anything really change? Effective soft skills development requires regularity, daily support, and measuring results. HR talks about this rarely, and does it even less often. But it can be different.
Business Knows Soft Skills Are Crucial
Ironically, business people fully understand the importance of interpersonal skills. They negotiate daily, build relationships, communicate, and solve conflicts. It’s these skills that ensured their success. The fact that they often do this poorly, toxically, or at the cost of long-term relationships doesn’t diminish their confidence or belief in the importance of these skills. And here lies a huge opportunity for HR – to show that soft skills development can not only be effective but also economical if we use modern technology.
Automation of Soft Skills – Revolution Thanks to AI
Real change only came recently, with artificial intelligence. Previously, technology in training mostly meant boring online lectures – either recorded (which are still boring) or those with direct meetings with a trainer/coach online on a marketplace basis. But these are still traditional trainings, just online! Such solutions are still expensive, non-scalable, and the only thing that changes is availability. It’s hard to call that a real change; it’s more like bowing to habits that are inherently inefficient for business. Meanwhile, AI allows full interactivity and personalization – employees immediately receive support in a specific work situation, whether it’s during a conflict, a tough conversation, or feedback. Instead of an expensive trainer available for a few hours a day, we have an intelligent “AI coach” available 24/7. Training stops being a “break from work” – it becomes a real, constant support for daily tasks. This is the future business has needed for a long time. Such platforms are ideal support “for every employee and leader” while also forming the foundation for specialist training led by humans – as a complement, development, and reinforcement of acquired knowledge.
The New Role of HR – Let’s Start Speaking the Language of Business
Automation gives HR a tool it has never had before: the ability to speak the language of specifics, data, and savings. HR departments have long complained about not being taken seriously, about “putting out fires” instead of creating strategic advantages. But how can business treat them any differently if HR rarely delivers real results? Today, thanks to AI, HR can show the business that investing in people is not just a pleasure (literally and figuratively) – it’s a crucial investment in the company’s competitiveness, and it can be done quickly, with low operational and financial input, and on any scale. These are the solutions that business is looking for.
Business Should Encourage HR to Find Optimal Solutions
Companies that are the first to adopt soft skills automation will gain an advantage: lower costs, faster team development, better communication, more effective negotiations. This is the new standard that will soon separate the winners from the losers. HR that sticks to traditional, costly events will become an easy target for budget cuts. Meanwhile, HR departments that already embrace automation and AI will become strategic partners, providing business with concrete advantages.
Today’s companies need hard results, concrete effects, and real effectiveness. In a world of constant change, we can no longer afford to spend money on actions that don’t change anything. Technology and automation are opening a new chapter in soft skills training history. HR is now at a crossroads: either it embraces this change and truly supports the business, or it gets left behind – and then the decision will be made by the business, possibly without HR at the table.
Empatyzer – the perfect solution for the discussed problem
Feature 1: AI Chat as an intelligent coach available 24/7
The chat knows the personality, character traits, preferences, and organizational context of the user and their team. This allows it to provide hyper-personalized advice tailored to both the inquirer and their team’s realities. Recommendations are given in real-time, helping managers solve problems here and now, instead of waiting for training.
Feature 2: Micro-learning tailored to the recipient
Twice a week, users receive short, condensed email micro-lessons that can be absorbed in three minutes. The lessons are personalized – they address either the manager’s strengths and weaknesses and ways to use them, or relationships and communication with the team. Practical tips include real scenarios, ready-to-use techniques, and even specific phrases that can be used in a given situation.
Feature 3: Professional personality and cultural preferences diagnosis
The tool analyzes the user’s personality, strengths, weaknesses, and unique characteristics in the context of the team, company, and population. It helps understand one’s position in the organization, identify talents, and determine the best course of action.
Empatyzer – easy implementation and immediate results
Instant implementation – the tool requires no integrations and can be launched in a company with 100–300 employees in less than an hour. Zero additional burden on HR – users do not generate extra questions or work for HR, which significantly saves their time. Immediate value for business – the tool is designed to be quick, easy to implement, generate immediate results, and be cost-effective.
Why is “Empatyzer” unique?
It understands not only the person asking but also their organizational environment – delivering solutions appropriate for real challenges. It’s a comprehensive tool that combines coaching, education, and analysis in one, available without any effort from the user.
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